Cape Fear Unearthed

Hurricanes are a reality of living on the coast. You can't stop, you can only prepare for them. But what about the hurricanes that plagued the earliest residents of the region?

This week's episode explores the storms that ravaged the Cape Fear from 1713 to 1954, the year Hurricane Hazel blew through and changed this region – and its relationship with hurricanes – forever.

The episode features a conversation with "North Carolina's Hurricane History" author Jay Barnes about how colonial and antebellum residents prepared for storms and what we've learned from two centuries of savage hurricanes.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "North Carolina's Hurricane History (Fourth Edition)," by Jay Barnes

-- "Hurricane Hazel in the Carolinas," by Jay Barnes

-- "The Great Hurricanes of North Carolina," by John Hairr

-- "Hurricane Hazel Lashes Coastal Carolinas: The Great Storm in Pictures," by Art Newton and the Wilmington Printing Company

-- Wilmington Morning Star archive, 1954

For 202 years, Old Baldy lighthouse on Bald Head Island has stood as a product of a different time in the Cape Fear region but an everlasting reminder of its history.

But Old Baldy is just one of three lighthouses that have stood on the island to help direct mariners around the dangerous shoals and into the Cape Fear River since 1795. Two have since been lost to time, but each lighthouse has helped shape the identity of the island and the development of the region.

This week's episode traces at the history of all three lighthouse with the special guest Travis Gilbert, the historian for Old Baldy Lighthouse.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Bald Head: A History of Smith Island and Cape Fear," by David Stick

-- "Cap'n Charlie and the Lights of the Lower Cape Fear," by Ethel Herring

-- "North Carolina Lighthouses," by Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and Bruce Roberts

This week, we are dipping back into the Cape Fear Classics for two stories from the 20th century that could not be anymore wildly different.

The first tells of a time when Wilmington invited residents from a small Pennsylvania town overcome by deadly smog to come inhale some fresh air at Wrightsville Beach for a whirlwind trip that made national headlines in 1948. The second is the incredible story of the plane crash in Wilmington that nearly killed legendary wrestler Ric Flair in 1975 and how it helped transform him into the Nature Boy.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island," by Ray McAllistar

-- "The Deadly Donora Smog of 1948 Spurred Environmental Protection," by Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian Magazine, Oct. 2018

-- Wilmington Morning Star articles, Nov. 2-26, 1948

-- Wilmington Morning Star, Oct. 5, 1975

-- Steve Austin Show, "Ric Flair" episode, June 1, 2016

-- "Nature Boy," ESPN's "30 for 30" (dir. Rory Karpf)

The foundation of the Cape Fear region can be traced to Brunswick Town, the area's first enduring settlement founded in 1726. But Brunswick's story isn't just defined by being the first.

It was the site of one of the first instances of the rebellion that sparked the American Revolution, the home of two royal governors and the battleground for struggles with the Spanish and the wrath of Mother Nature.

On this week's extended episode Jim McKee, site manager of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site stops by to talk the history of the town, just how important it was to North Carolina's early rebellion and why only 20 percent of Brunswick's story has yet to be uncovered today.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Archaeology at Colonial Brunswick," by Stanley South

-- "The Lower Cape Fear in Colonial Days," by Lawrence Lee

-- "The Story of Brunswick Town," by Franda D. Pedlow

-- "To Forge a Thunderbolt: Fort Anderson and the Battle for Wilmington," by Chris E. Fonvielle Jr.

-- "Chronicles of the Cape Fear: 1660-1916," by James Sprunt 

-- "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," by Louis T. Moore

-- "Land of the Golden River, Vol. 2," by Lewis Philip Hall

You're likely familiar with Charleston, the crown jewel of historic South Carolina. But have you ever heard of North Carolina's Charles Town?

The small settlement was actually the first Carolina community to bear the name of King Charles II and the first attempt to form a home in the Cape Fear region in 1664. But the will and ambition of the 800 or so settlers were no match for a string of crushing setbacks that brought a swift end to the settlement just three years after it started.

This week's episode is the first of a two-week special look at the origins of the Cape Fear region, through the lens of its two earliest colonial settlements. In this episode, we'll look at why Charles Town failed and how its missteps taught Europeans how to build better settlements in the Carolinas in the century after it.

Joining the conversation is Jack Fryar Jr., a local historian and author of the upcoming book "Charles Towne on the Cape Fear: The Rise and Fall of the First Barbadian Settlement in Carolina."

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Charles Towne on the Cape Fear: The Rise and Fall of the First Barbadian Settlement in Carolina," by Jack Fryar Jr.

-- "Land of the Golden River, Vol. 2," by Lewis Philip Hall

-- "The Coastal Chronicles Vol. 1," by Jack Fryar Jr.

-- "The Exploration, Settlement and Abandonment of the Lower Cape Fear, 1662-67: The Historical Record and The Archaeological Evidence at the Supposed Site of Charlestown," by James Legg and W. Bryan Watson Jr.

Spring 1928 brought clear skies, calm seas and a massive sperm whale to the shores of Wrightsville Beach. Measuring an astounding 54 feet long, the deceased whale shocked and fascinated the still-growing beach town like no other event in its history.

But that was just the start of a laborious two-year journey to give the whale, named Trouble, a second life as a member of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' permanent mammal collection.

This week, Lisa Gatens, the research curator for mammals at the museum in Raleigh, stops by the show to talk about Trouble's incredible story, how whales are preserved for education opportunities and why their bones are best cleaned in horse manure.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish. This week's interview was recorded at WHQR Studios in Wilmington.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Trouble," the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Digital Archives Project (available online at naturalsciences.org/docs/Trouble.pdf)

-- "Land of the Golden River," by Lewis Phillip Hall

-- "Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island," by Ray McAllister

-- Wilmington Morning Star Editions, April-December 1928

In the dead of night on Sept. 21, 1862, William Benjamin Gould and 21 other slaves escaped from Wilmington by commandeering three boats at the foot of Orange Street.

Gould would go on to join the Union Navy, fight for the cause of abolition and freedom for three years, and then start a family with his long-time love, Cornelia. His is a story of daring chances and hard-earned triumphs that begins with a single choice in Wilmington.

This week, we discuss Gould's story from his time as a slave to his later life as a celebrated craftsman and family man. Joining the discussion are local historian Beverly Tetterton and very special guest William Benjamin Gould IV, the great-grandson of this week's subject.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor, by William Benjamin Gould IV

-- Strength Through Struggle: The Chronological and Historical Record of the African-American community in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1865-1950, by Bill Reaves

-- William Benjamin Gould's diary, now in the permanent collection at the Massachusetts Historical Society

The Battleship North Carolina was a legendary vessel in the nation's fleet when it was scheduled to be torn apart for scrap metal in 1958.

Despite its storied history of active service and a lineage that dates back to 1820, the Showboat, as it was called, was going to be torn apart until the state for which it is named rallied to save it and preserve its history.

On this week's episode, we explore that history, from the ship's construction and active service, to the day it was torpedoed and the historic campaign that gave it a second life.

Joining the discussion is Kim Sincox, museum service director for the Battleship North Carolina.

The Battleship North Carolina is open 365 days a year. Visit BattleshipNC.com for more information on events onboard the ship.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- Battleship North Carolina, by Capt. Ben Blee

-- Boys of the Battleship North Carolina, by Cindy Horrell Ramsey

-- Battleship North Carolina archives and photos

-- Battleship History, www.BattleshipNC.com

-- Wilmington StarNews articles, 1961 and later

In a time before Twitter and Facebook, men once defended their honor by fighting in duels rather than dragging each other's names in poorly composed posts on social media.

Duels weren't necessarily about killing one's opponent. They were about standing your ground and showing your name and reputation were worth dying for because, for many men, they were.

In this week's episode of Cape Fear Unearthed, we explore three important duels in the region's history. One was first to ever take place in the north colony of Carolina, while another is said to be the last fatal duel every fought in the South.

Joining the conversation are local historian Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. and Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site manager Jim McKee.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region, by Louis T. Moore

-- Chronicles of the Cape Fear River: 1660-1916, by James Sprunt

-- Duel!, by Ross Drake, Smithsonian Magazine, March 2004

-- Wilmington Daily Journal and Wilmington Daily Herald editions, May 1856

For two months in the heart of the Civil War, Wilmington was ravaged by a sudden and unstoppable outbreak of yellow fever. The virus infected more than 1,500 people and killed an estimated 654, turning the Port City into a ghost town of fear and panic.

In the season three premiere of Cape Fear Unearthed, we revisit the treacherous two-month chapter in local history and then talk to Eric Kozen, superintendent of Oakdale Cemetery, and David Rice, former county health director, about the tragic losses, why Wilmington was so vulnerable to the disease and how it dealt with the escalating body count.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- Lower Cape Fear Historical Society Inc. Bulletin, Vol. X1, Nov. 1967

-- Memoir of Rev. John L. Prichard, late pastor of the First Baptist Church, Wilmington, N.C., by Rev. J.D. Hufham

-- Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region, by Louis T. Moore

-- The Coastal Chronicles, Vol. 1, edited by Jack Fryar, Jr.

-- Wilmington Daily Journal editions, Aug.-Nov. 1862